United States of America v. Mohammed Hamed

New Orleans, Louisiana, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343.

Reported by: Kent Morlan

Mohammed Hamed, age 34, was arrested on June 10, 2026, pursuant to a previously issued criminal complaint. An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that from or about January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023, HAMED purchased electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), more commonly known as vapes, from SAFA Goods LLC (SAFA) in Florida and had the products shipped to Louisiana. When SAFA was no longer licensed, SAFA stopped directly shipping to Hamed. From on or about April 17, 2024 to December 9, 2024, HAMED wired approximately $1,606,117 to SAFA Goods in Florida. Shipping patterns changed to use middlemen’s addresses, some of whom also received wired funds. While the shipments appeared to stop on paper, HAMED continued to wire money to SAFA Goods. ATF discovered that HAMED’s information would often be embedded in the ordering information for another wholesaler outside of the state of Louisiana. HAMED also sold to a large amount of retail stores in and out of the Eastern District of Louisiana. ATF located multiple invoices which reflected products that HAMED is not legally licensed to sell. HAMED then collected checks and deposited them into a bank account. HAMED used this same bank account to wire large sums of money to wholesalers, such as SAFA Goods and AGX2 LLC. This scheme was devised to defraud the state of Louisiana by not registering for a tobacco license but still distributing products to various retail locations in and out of the state. This fact was confirmed by matching checks received from the retailers to invoices found at the retailers. ATF estimates the loss to the State at approximately $880,000.

A criminal indictment is not proof of guilt.

If convicted, HAMED faces a maximum of twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.